The current coalition leaders, David Seymour (left), Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The current coalition leaders, David Seymour (left), Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Letter of the week
Co-governance and coalition
The letter of the week (Herald on Sunday, Dec 3) raises the issue of a lack of mandate for the new coalition to make broad changes.
This is an important point, however, this should be raised with the previous two Labour governments. Amandate is given not only when a party gains the majority of the Parliament seats but when a reform is clearly presented before the elections and it is broadly discussed during the campaign.
Labour never offered an electoral debate about the co-governance arrangements in the provision of government services as spelled out in the He Pua report. The name itself means “a break” making it clear how revolutionary its provisions are.
On the contrary the current coalition openly presented its programme before the election and they are starting to implement it having won the elections.
Marco Nordio, Kumeū
With MMP, securing mandate takes three
Your letter of the week correspondent (Herald on Sunday, Dec 3) who states that our Government does not have a mandate to make big changes cannot be more wrong.
Each of the three parties must agree to any changes likely to affect their political strategy, before such legislation is introduced.
This is why the process to form a new government took so long.
This is how MMP operates, so those voters who are unhappy with such changes in political process, should be seeking changes in the voting system, not blaming the coalition.
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald on Sunday, Dec 3) has done a fine job explaining why our new prime minister is being referred to as “the gelding”.
She points out it is really Winston Peters who is making all the decisions in the new Government.
It’s really a shame because 38 per cent of us thought Christopher Luxon was the man who could do the job.
Mark Nixon, Remuera
A matter of misinterpretation
The prisons are going to be fuller with not enough staff to manage them.
Christopher Luxon has admitted he has “misinterpreted” the smoking outlets.
Chris Bishop has repeated the “misinterpretation” of said outlets.
They’re reversing the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
Winston Peters has accused the media of accepting bribes.
And there is indecision around the World Health Organisation.
It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that some of these issues will cost so much more than they do presently.
Where will the money be for the “squeezed middle” then?
Susan Wilson, Waiheke island
Aucklanders gathered at Aotea Square last month, flying the Palestinian flag to protest against the bombing of Gaza. Photo / Alex Burton
Flag waving
Waiheke Island’s Local Board’s request to fly the Palestinian flag from its building makes me wonder if these people are aware of what actually happened to Israel’s Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7.
What if a battalion of masked militia from Waiheke descended upon Remuera, indiscriminately killing civilians whilst committing unspeakable atrocities and taking hostages including a 10-month-old baby, would councils around the country vote to fly the flag of the Waiheke Island terror group?
Would Remuera feel as though it had a right to defend itself and immediately engage in a conflict to wipe out the terrorists on Waiheke Island after the terrorists threatened to repeat what they did until Remuera no longer existed?
Obviously this is a bizarre scenario but it helps to highlight the misplaced and disproportionate sympathies of members of Waiheke’s Local Board.
By all means call for a ceasefire but don’t demonstrate blatant ignorance of the source of this current conflict which is Hamas, a ruthless and barbaric terrorist group.
The Waiheke Local Board needs to refrain from making comment on what it appears to know nothing about and concentrate on making sure that its sewers, drains and roads are in good operating order as that is what the people of Waiheke Island asked them to do when they voted them in.
Bernard Walker, Pāpāmoa
Question Time circus
It might be time to scrap Question Time in Parliament which has turned into a total fiasco, a circus and a disgrace and is a complete waste of the time and money of taxpayers and ratepayers.
Surely our politicians’ time would be better spent jointly, co-operatively focusing in a bipartisan manner, solely on solving our critical, ever worsening economic, financial, education, housing, health, defence, social and infrastructure problems etc
This suggestion is surely just plain common sense and not the “wisdom of Solomon”. Given the stress levels, at this time, of all voters this is the very least we can demand and expect of all our politicians.
